The E1 is the smallest Micro Four Thirds camera ever

Micro Four Thirds cameras give you the flexibility of a digital SLR in a much smaller package. But what if you went further and shrunk down the camera enough so that it would fit into your jeans pocket?

That’s the idea behind the E1 Camera. It’s tiny – only just big enough to hold the lens, in fact. Since it’s a Micro Four Thirds camera, it has been granted the rights by Olympus to use the official specification. This means it will accept MFT lenses, including those made by Olympus, Leica, Panasonic and Sigma. Whether you want a macro, fish-eye, zoom or other, there should be a lens for you.

Obviously, carrying around those various lenses will add to the bulk somewhat, but it doesn’t detract from the fact that this camera is amazingly small.

It boasts a 16-megapixel sensor, and should take very good low-light pictures thanks to an ISO of up to 102,400. It also records videos in 4K (4,096 x 2,160) at 14fps, and ultra-high definition video (3,840 x 2,160) at 30fps with H.264 compression.

The die-cast magnesium housing is designed to dissipate heat and to support the high demands of the A9 image processor, so performance should be top-notch.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth come as standard, and you can control, live stream and manage your snaps and videos using the iOS or Android app. You can also activate it remotely, so you can set it on a tripod and snap a selfie without your arm taking up most of the photo.

Almost all of the early bird offers are gone, but you can pick up an E1 for $599 (£385). It will ship in November.